Description

This wine is a bin-end, discounted by 20%.

Glowing purple, this is really charming; the oak helps the nose but it marries very well with the succulent, vibrant fruit. Juicy, succulent, with lovely poise, red raspberry fruit, this is very persistent indeed, with an infusion of mineral acidity. Everything is there.

About this WINE

Domaine Christian Serafin

This domaine was originally put on the map by Christian Sérafin’s father, Stanilaus Serafin, a Polish émigré, who settled in Burgundy before the war and espoused 50 per cent whole-bunch fermentation and not too much new oak. He initially worked as a mason, before, in 1947, purchasing some land and establishing himself as a vigneron. His son Christian inherited the domaine in 1988, though he had been making the wine for the previous twenty years.

Christian Serafin has made great advances in recent years and has a keen following in the United States. Like so many of the best producers in Burgundy, the twin peaks of Serafin's philosophy are old vines and low yields. The grapes are fermented at highish temperatures ensuring good depth of colour and fruit. Crucially Christian Serafin's wines are not filtered and recently the levels of new oak have been on the increase, with even the Gevrey village being matured in 50% new oak. These are rich, concentrated, oaky wines which age well.

On Christian’s watch the grapes have been completely destemmed and, except the lowliest cuvées, matured in entirely new wood. Much thought goes into matching a particular tonnelier and forest with the character of a given vineyard. He likes the elegance of Taransaud for some and the power of François Frères for others.

This makes for powerful wines with noticeable tannins, which do however emerge with fruit and terroir intact after a decade or more of bottle age. The key is in the vineyard work with strict pruning and de-budding, followed by a green harvest and deleafing on both sides. Christian Sérafin is now past retirement age, but with a niece in the vineyards and a daughter in the cellar and office, continuity is in place.

Gevrey Chambertin

Gevrey-Chambertin is the largest wine-producing village in Burgundy’s Côte d'Or, with its vineyards spilling over into the next door commune of Brochon.

Located in the far north of the Côtes de Nuits above Morey-St Denis, classic Gevrey-Chambertin is typically deeper in colour, firmer in body and more tannic in structure than most red Burgundy. The best can develop into the richest, most complete and long-lived Pinot Noir in the world. This is largely thanks to the iron-rich clay soils, though much depends on whether the vineyard is located on either the steeper slopes (Evocelles, Clos St Jacques) or the flatter, richer soils (Clos Prieur, Combottes).

Whereas in the past there have been numerous underperformers in Gevrey-Chambertin exploiting the reputation of this famous village and its iconic Grands Crus, today there are many fine sources to choose from, and overall quality is higher than ever.

Gevrey-Chambertin’s greatest Grand Cru is named after the field of the monk Bertin (Champ de Bertin). In 1847, Gevrey appended the name of this illustrious vineyard, Chambertin, setting a trend for the other principle villages to follow. Le Chambertin may not be quite as sumptuous as Musigny or Richebourg, or as divinely elegant as La Tâche or Romanée-St Vivant, but it is matched only by the legendary Romanée-Conti for completeness and luscious intensity.

In all, Gevrey boasts an impressive nine Grands Crus, with the name of Chambertin retaining a regal omnipresence throughout its finest vineyard names. The other truly great Grand Cru is Chambertin-Clos de Bèze which has the right to sell its wines simply as ‘Chambertin’, and is the only wine allowed to put the Chambertin name before, rather than after, its own. Situated slightly further up the hill, the wines are fractionally less powerful yet full of sensual charm and finesse.

Quality-wise the next best are generally acknowledged to be Mazis-Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin. The former is incredibly concentrated and very fine, but its structure is a little less firm than Le Chambertin. Latricières is less about power (although it can be explosively fruity) and more about an entrancing silkiness.

Situated slightly higher up the slope, Ruchottes-Chambertin is impressively rich, stylish and slightly angular. The tiny Griottes-Chambertin, which owes its name to the grill-pan shape of the vineyard rather than the wine’s griotte cherry aroma, is lower down the slope and boasts a velvety texture and rich fruit reminiscent of Chambertin itself. It is generally better than the lighter, although wonderfully fragrant Chapelle-Chambertin and Gevrey’s largest Grand Cru, the pure and seductive (if variable) Charmes-Chambertin.

Gevrey also has some outstanding Premier Crus on the south-east-facing slopes above the town. Les Cazetiers and especially Clos St Jacques produce some exceptional wines. Indeed Armand Rousseau, who pioneered domaine bottling here in the 1930s and is still one of the region’s very best producers, often sells his Clos St Jacques for more than several of his Grand Crus.

Drinking dates for these wines vary, but Grand Crus are generally best from at least 10 to 25 years, Premier Crus from eight to 20 years, and village wines from five to 12 years.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.